Hello Friends Far and Wide!

We can't believe it's our 50th year here at Oddfellows Playhouse!

Thousands and thousands of adults and kids are forever impacted by their time at Oddfellows!

As we have been gathering virtually over the past few months with groups of alumni from every one of the past five decades, a common theme has emerged - adults reflecting on their time at Oddfellows and how it has impacted the rest of their lives, the choices they have made, the paths they have pursued, the values they have stood for. So many artists, educators, social workers, entertainers and activists have emerged from the Playhouse over the past fifty years! The world is a better, more compassionate place because of Oddfellows.

And Oddfellows is you!

Which brings us to the present moment, and the next fifty years. 

This week we have 14 classes meeting, 6 ongoing Neighborhood Troupes serving kids who live in public housing, we just hosted the second annual Southern New England Teaching Artist Conference, registration for this summer’s 37th Children’s Circus of Middletown is nearly full, the MARC Community Players performed their second show this season, and the Teen Rep Company is in rehearsal for Everybody by contemporary playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

The usual busy, crazy, creative place!

Except for one big problem - for the past 18 months, income has not been matching expenditures. Relief funding, which really helped us get through 2020-2023, has dried up. The business community is tightening its belt, foundations are seeing their portfolios shrink, government funding is evaporating before our very eyes, and more and more families are requesting financial aid (in 2024 we gave out nearly $70,000 in financial aid!)

We aren’t going to stop, but we need your help!

If you are an annual donor, please consider raising your donation amount or becoming a sustainer by scheduling a monthly donation!

If you have never donated to the Playhouse, now is a great time to start! People who donate to places that they love live longer and experience more happiness (OK. We just made that up, but it’s probably true….)

We appreciate you. We need you. We are you and you are us.

Please help the Playhouse to keep transforming lives and building community, this week, this year, and for the next fifty years.

Thanks so much for your friendship and support!

Dic and the Oddfellows Staff and Board